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12.20.12

Squeezing Breasts Can Prevent Cancer

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Now this is what you call a titillating breakthrough. It probably isn’t the most effective way to treat breast cancer, but researchers at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have found that squeezing breast tissue can help slow growth of the disease. Their study shows that mechanical force can halt the growth of cancer cells and coax them back to a normal growth pattern. How’d they figure this out? Researchers grew malignant breast cells in silicone, which was compressed at each new stage of growth. Even though the study was a success, the authors caution that it probably won’t lead to a specific cancer therapy. But was it fun?